40 pc of events marking Japan-China anniversary cancelled in Japan

More than half of those events were canceled at China’s request. According to the Japan Times, the findings show that the deterioration in bilateral relations has spread to the grassroots level, and Tokyo and Beijing are showing no signs of backing down over the sovereignty of the Japanese-administered Senkakus in the East China Sea. “We are working hard to promote private-level exchange, but our efforts have been spoiled. We feel helpless," Duan Yuezhong, chief editor of the Duan Press magazine for Chinese nationals living in Japan, said. According to the report, Duan helped to organize a photo exhibition on Japan-China exchanges that was slated to be held in November in Shanghai, but had to be postponed after the Chinese side pulled out.

Many tourists, meanwhile, are canceling flight and ferry reservations to travel between the two countries, forcing airlines and ferry operators to reduce or suspend services on some routes. Japanese retailers are bracing for a drop in sales next month due to the expected steep decline in Chinese tourists. "We are afraid that our October sales will be seriously affected, as more tourists are expected to refrain from visiting Japan," an official at Matsuya Co., which runs a major department store in Tokyo's glitzy Ginza district, said.